Ark Simulator, don't I have no physical form?

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the newly made farm tools, giving them a cold, metallic sheen.

Su Rui squatted in the corner of the warehouse, his fingertips gently tracing the blades of a row of new sickles. With the slightest touch, his skin felt a slight stinging sensation—he hadn't even used any force, yet a shallow white mark had already been left on his fingertip.

"This is too sharp..." he muttered to himself, his tail unconsciously curling up a hoe next to him. The hoe blade "whooshed" and cut off several silver hairs from the tip of his tail, startling him so much that he quickly let go.

"Sister Shu." Su Rui finally couldn't help but turn to look at Shu, who was taking stock of the farm tools, "Are these things that Sister Nian made... really just farm tools?"

Shu was holding a bundle of newly made shovels when he heard this. He stopped what he was doing and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Why do you ask that?"

Su Rui held up a sickle, its blade gleaming in the twilight: "Look, this blade is almost as sharp as your sister's pipe! Do you really need this kind of blade for harvesting wheat? And this hoe—"

He pointed to the murder weapon on the ground, its handle engraved with flame patterns, "The hoe's surface is thicker than a shield; if it were to be smashed down, it could probably crush rocks, right?"

Shu gently put down the shovel, the wheat ears clinging to her sleeves rustling with her movement. She walked to Su Rui's side, took the sickle, and ran her fingertips along the blade. Surprisingly, the blade became docile in her hand, its cold gleam tempered like a dusty pearl.

“Nian certainly wouldn’t produce shoddy work.” Shu’s voice was as gentle as sun-warmed wheat grains. “But more importantly—” She suddenly flipped her wrist, and the sickle flew out of her hand, pinning a dark shadow that had passed by outside the window to a tree trunk.

The dark shadow emitted a piercing squeak; it was a strange rat with six ears!

Suri's scales instantly exploded: "River Beasts?! Weren't they all wiped out?!"

“There are always some that slip through the net.” Shu pulled out her sickle and took out a handkerchief to wipe the black blood off the blade. “Besides…” she looked at the gradually darkening fields in the distance, “this autumn harvest season, we need tools that can harvest both crops and scoundrels at the same time.”

The warehouse suddenly fell silent. Only then did Su Rui notice that the handles of all the new farm tools were engraved with tiny runes—some like Xi's ink incantations, some like Nian's fire patterns, and even a few traces of Ling's mist.

"So these really are martial arts..."

“It’s a farming tool that can protect the granary.” Shu interrupted him, putting the cleaned sickle back into his hand. “Just like you are both our family and our guardian.”

She blinked. "Although Nian is mischievous, she knows her limits very well—the blade of this 'Wind Flame' is just right to cut through the straw contaminated by the foul air without damaging the clean grains."

Suri looked down at the sickle and suddenly noticed that the patterns on the blade formed the shape of rice ears in the twilight.

The sounds of Nian humming and hammering drifted in from outside the window, the scent of ink from Xi mingling with the misty haze of Ling in the evening breeze. Shu picked up the remaining farm tools and headed deeper into the warehouse, his wheat-ear headdress gleaming with tiny golden fragments in the darkness.

(So ​​everyone's been preparing all along...)

Su Rui gripped her sickle and chased after her: "Sister Shu! Can I help you test the new threshing machine tomorrow? I promise I won't cheat with the wind blades!"

A burst of laughter mingled with the chirping of insects: "Let's go ask Nian to trim the fur on his tail first—"

The night wind lifted the cloth curtains of the warehouse, and the moonlight shone on the row of gleaming farm tools, like white teeth flashing in anticipation of the work to come.

Su Rui stood in front of the blacksmith's shed, hesitantly touching the mane on his tail that had been partially shaved off by the sickle. The small bald patch there felt prickly and strange to the touch.

"Sister Nian—" He had just peeked out when a familiar chill suddenly came from behind him.

Xi had already stood behind him without him noticing, and her dark dragon tail silently wrapped around his wrist, gently pulling him backward.

"Trim the tail?" Xi's voice was indifferent, but the tip of her tail tightened slightly. "I'll help you. Nian can't do this kind of thing."

Before Su Rui could react, Nian Bumin's loud voice came from the blacksmith's shed: "Hey, hey, hey! Xi, what do you mean? Where is my craftsmanship not exquisite?"

He rushed out carrying a still-smoking iron hammer, his red hair covered in coal ash, his cheeks flushed red from the fire.

She grabbed Suri's other hand and glared at Xi defiantly: "Little Suri came to see me! It's just trimming her tail hair, right? I can just singe it off with fire—ow!"

Xi's tail lashed out at Nian's hand with a soft slap, but the force was chilling: "Last time you 'helped' repair Ling's wine pot, you ended up melting the jade spout into a lump of iron."

Nian's momentum immediately weakened by three points: "That, that was an accident! This time I promise to use a low flame!"

Xi sneered and unfurled the scroll. The ink condensed in the air into a delicate pair of scissors: "Su Rui's scales have a special structure. We need to use spiritual power to repair them along the hair follicles." She looked at Su Rui, her voice softening unconsciously, "Go to my room, it'll be done soon."

Su Rui's ears burned slightly. He looked at Nian's frustrated expression, speechless after being rebuked, and then at Xi's seemingly calm demeanor, but with her tail tip taut. He suddenly found the scene both funny and heartwarming.

“Um… Sister Nian,” he scratched his head, carefully pulling his hand away from Nian’s grasp, “How about Sister Xi helps me this time? I’ll be your assistant next time I’m forging iron!”

Nian puffed out her cheeks and let go: "Hmph! You little ingrate!" But she grinned again in an instant, leaned close to Su Rui's ear, and whispered in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear: "Remember to have someone use my new silver scissors—I specially mixed in your scale powder, so trimming won't hurt~"

Xi's pupils suddenly contracted.

Xi's bedroom was simpler than Su Rui had imagined.

Moonlight streamed through the window lattice onto the bluestone floor. The remaining ink in the inkstone on the desk gleamed faintly. Several swimming ink dragons were painted on the screen beside the bed—one of which had scales that shimmered with silver light, looking as if it had been secretly copied from someone's features.

"Sit still." Xi pointed to the edge of the bed and took out a carved wooden box from her sleeve. Inside, various tools were neatly arranged: a jade comb, silver scissors, a fine brush, and a small bottle of spiritual liquid that glowed with a bluish light.

Suri sat up straight obediently, his tail flat on the cushion. When Dangxi's fingertips touched the bald spot, he couldn't help but flinch: "Cold!"

"Don't move." Xi's voice was softer than her fingertips as she carefully combed the broken hair roots with a jade comb dipped in spiritual liquid. Su Rui secretly glanced up and noticed that the shadow cast on her face by her eyelashes when she lowered her eyes resembled distant mountains in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

"The scales that Nian mentioned..."

“It’s no use.” Xi interrupted crisply, but the tips of her ears turned a suspicious red. As she spoke, she picked up the silver scissors, a streak of dark light flashing across the blade. “Close your eyes.”

Volume 9, Chapter 581: I Won

As soon as Su Rui closed his eyes, he felt a slight itch on the bald patch. Xi's spiritual power seeped into the gaps between the scales like a trickle, carrying a reassuring coolness. In the soft sound of scissors opening and closing, he heard Xi's almost inaudible sigh: "...always getting hurt."

"Because I wanted to help," Su Rui couldn't help but explain. "Besides, it was an accident! Sister Nian's sickle was just too sharp; a light touch and it—"

“She did it on purpose,” Xi suddenly said.

"Huh?"

Xi paused for a moment: "That 'Windflame' sword has recognized its master. When you took it, it sensed your spiritual energy and automatically sharpened." She put down the scissors and gently stroked the repaired area with her palm. "Nian Zao predicted that you would get cut."

Su Rui suddenly opened her eyes and found that new silver hair had grown in the bald spot, shimmering like pearls in the moonlight. Even more miraculously, the tips of the new hairs were tinged with a very faint black color, as if they had been dyed by Xi's spiritual power.

"This is……?"

“Mark.” Xi turned her face away to pack up her tools, but her tail honestly wrapped around his wrist. “Next time you touch dangerous things, I’ll kick you out of the furnace for a year.”

Suddenly, a "crack" sound came from outside the window, like a tree branch snapping. As Su Rui turned her head, she caught a glimpse of a red hem disappearing over the wall—along with half a candied hawthorn skewer frozen solid.

Xi's lips curled up slightly.

When Su Rui burst into Xi's study carrying a bunch of "toys" she had taken from Nian, Xi was leaning against the window, her fingertips lightly touching the ink in the inkstone, letting the ink spread on the rice paper to outline the distant mountains.

"Sister Xi!" Suri's eyes sparkled, and her tail thumped excitedly on the ground. "Let's play a gunfight!"

Xi paused, the ink spreading a small patch on the paper. She slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on the pile of strange metal objects in Su Rui's arms—among the "toys" specially made by Nian, there were guns that could shoot sparks, explosive bullets, and even a bizarre device that resembled a cannon.

"……Do not."

Xi's voice was calm, but Su Rui had long since figured out her temperament. He leaned closer, the tip of his tail gently wrapping around her wrist, the scales lightly brushing against her skin: "Just for a little while! I specially asked Sister Nian to adjust the power, it definitely won't damage the painting!"

Xi frowned slightly, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the inkstone. She had never liked this kind of noisy game, but Su Rui's eyes were wet, like a little animal waiting to be fed, making her "no" stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

After a few seconds of silence, she sighed softly and raised her hand to unfurl the scroll.

"Just one game."

Beneath the ink-wash sky, the world created by Xi unfolds in the painting—a battlefield modeled after a modern city, with towering buildings and crisscrossing streets, but all the buildings are composed of flowing ink, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, like a dream.

Su Rui cheered and grabbed a pistol, shoving it into Xi's hand: "Xi-jie, use this! Nian-jie said the recoil is reduced, perfect for beginners!"

Xi looked down at the cold metal in her hand, her brows furrowing even more. In all her years, she had always wielded the pen as a weapon and ink as a sharp edge; she had never touched such a crude firearm before. But Su Rui had already excitedly run behind cover, peeking out half her head and waving at her: "Sister Xi! I'm hidden! Come and shoot me!"

evening:"……"

She took a deep breath, and a wisp of dark spiritual energy rose from her fingertips, quietly enveloping the gun. Since she was going to play, she couldn't let Su Rui think she was just going through the motions.

"boom--!"

The first shot grazed Su Rui's earlobe and shattered the wall behind him. Su Rui's ears perked up instantly, and his tail bristled: "Sister Xi! Be serious!"

Xi's lips curled up almost imperceptibly: "I'm very serious."

She walked slowly forward, her dark robes fluttering in the wind, yet the gun in her hand remained as steady as a rock. Su Rui hid behind a low wall, holding her breath, listening to Xi's footsteps grow clearer and clearer—

"Got you?"

Xi's voice suddenly came from behind. Su Rui turned around sharply and saw that Xi had somehow gotten behind him and the muzzle of the gun was gently pressed against his back.

"Sister Xi, you cheated!" Su Rui shouted indignantly, "We agreed on a gunfight, why did you use teleportation!"

Xi tilted her head slightly, a sly glint in her eyes: "The rules don't say it's not allowed."

Su Rui puffed out her cheeks, then suddenly rolled to the side, pointing the pistol at Xi's waist: "Then I'll cheat too!"

"boom!"

Xi's figure dispersed like ink in a painting, then reformed three steps away. She gently shook her head: "Too slow."

Su Rui, unwilling to give up, gave chase, and the two exchanged fire in the streets and alleys of the painted world, gunshots mingling with laughter. Xi's tense nerves gradually relaxed, and she even began to enjoy this childish game—especially seeing Su Rui's sullen face after each of her "kills."

Half an hour later, Su Rui collapsed onto a pile of ruins, panting, "Sister Xi... you're too strong..."

Xi stood before him, the gun in her hand now cold. She looked down at Su Rui's flushed cheeks and disheveled silver hair, and suddenly felt that he was more vibrant than usual.

"Want to play again?" she asked softly.

Suri shook her head, but her tail quietly wrapped around her ankle: "I'm not playing anymore... but I won."

Xi raised an eyebrow: "?"

Suri grinned and suddenly pulled a small metal ball from his pocket—it was a specially made "paintball" that would explode into a dazzling firework when it hit a target.

"Sister Xi, you've fallen for their trap!"

He suddenly hurled the paintball at Xi's chest. Xi instinctively raised her hand to block, but the metal ball suddenly veered off course in mid-air, bypassing her defenses, and gently struck her shoulder—

"Oh!"

Brilliant fireworks bloomed around Xi, and golden sparks rained down, making her profile look exceptionally soft.

Suri wagged her tail triumphantly: "The final blow is mine!"

Xi paused for a moment, then chuckled. She reached out and ruffled Su Rui's hair, her fingertips catching a few specks of firework dust: "...cunning."

Su Rui chuckled and leaned against her, saying, "Sister Xi, shall we play again next time?"

Xi didn't answer, but her tail quietly wrapped around Su Rui's waist, pulling him closer to her.

(From beyond the painting, Nian's voice drifted over: "Little Suri! I made a new Gatling gun! Want to try it out?!")

Xi's tail tightened instantly: "...There won't be a next time."

Suri's tail slapped excitedly on the ground, her eyes shining like they were filled with stars: "One more round! This time I'm going to win fair and square!"

Xi had already prepared to put the scroll away, but because of his commotion, her fingertips hovered in mid-air and ultimately failed to fall.

She sighed softly, her dark eyes sweeping over Su Rui's expectant face, then glancing at Nian, who was squatting on the roof beam peeking out—the latter was swinging his legs, playing with an exaggeratedly designed multi-barreled gun in his hand, his face clearly saying "Count me in."

How could someone cheat on page 582 of volume 9?

“…The last round.” Xi conceded.

With a flick of her finger, the scroll unfurled once more, and beneath the ink-wash sky, the original urban battlefield began to distort and deform.

The flowing ink created an even more complex terrain—an abandoned military base, a maze of underground tunnels, and even the wreckage of several armored vehicles half-buried in the sand.

"Wow!" Nian leaped down from the beam, her red hair flying. "That's more like it!" She casually shoved a strangely shaped short pistol into Suri's hand. "Try this, 'buzz,' the bullets will curve!"

As soon as Su Rui took the weapon, Xi's tail lashed out and struck Nian's wrist: "Don't give him dangerous goods."

Nian exaggeratedly clutched his wrist, exclaiming, "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! This is a specially made training round; it can't even kill an ant!"

Xi glanced at her coldly, then turned to Su Rui and said, "Use what I gave you."

A jet-black pistol materialized at her fingertips, its body adorned with delicate ink patterns, and a small dragon scale embedded in the trigger—the very one Su Rui had dropped earlier.

Suri took it with delight: "This is...?"

"For use only in the painting realm," Xi said calmly. "The bullets are solidified ink droplets; they won't hurt you."

Nian, standing to the side, curled her lip sourly: "Favoritism~"

With Xi's snap of her fingers, the battlefield in the painting suddenly came to life.

Dozens of ink-wash soldiers rose from the ground, clad in retro armor and wielding spears, standing silently in formation. Xi stood atop the broken wall, her black hair flying, like a Valkyrie on the battlefield: "The rules are simple—the last one standing wins by defeating the opponent."

Su Rui and Nian exchanged a glance, both revealing sly smiles.

"start!"

-

Suri crouched low as he crept through the ruins, his tail pressed tightly to the ground, afraid of giving away his presence. He had just rounded an armored vehicle when he suddenly heard a soft "click" from above.

Looking up, he saw Nian hanging upside down on the broken steel frame, his multi-barreled gun already aimed at him.

"Surprise~"